At Global IntelliSystems, automation is a topic we talk about a lot. Many of the discussions we have about automation include clearing up common misconceptions. One of the misconceptions we regularly encounter is the assumption that automated experiences aren’t personalized. Although it’s true that plenty of businesses fail to personalize the automation they implement, that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Not only can it be done, but it’s something we highly recommend.

If your business does most or all of its business online, your job is to give visitors to your site all the confidence they need to pay for what you sell. Trust is a key part of building that confidence. And it’s the perfect example of where personalization comes into the picture. Someone who goes through an email sequence that’s personalized to them is going to be much more likely to buy than if they go through a generic one.

Another very important element of both gaining customers and keeping them around is customer service. As with virtually all other aspects of doing business online, many parts of customer service can be automated. Strategically automating parts of your customer service will save you time while still making prospects or customers feel like they’re getting the attention they need.

So whether it’s for the automated or manual aspects of your customer service efforts, here are the skills that matter most:

Empathy

The best customer service efforts always come from a place of empathy. Sure, there may be times when you don’t think a customer is right. But it’s important to remember how frustrating it can be when something goes wrong with a product or other offering. Additionally, customers are humans, which means they may simply be having a bad day. If you’re able to train your customer service team to always respond with empathy, as well as build empathy into any automated messages you send out, you’ll likely be surprised by how quickly you can calm down even the most upset of customers.

Responsiveness

It’s never fun to submit a support ticket and then receive an automated message that someone will respond within 2-3 days. While there are limits to how quickly your team may be able to work through its customer service queue, faster is always better. It’s also a good idea to focus on how you communicate through your automated efforts so that customers feel like they’re being heard and will get help as soon as possible.

Detailed Knowledge

Just like no one wants to wait when they encounter a problem, they don’t want a general answer that’s not going to help them. Your customer service team needs to be fully trained so they can provide detailed answers to the questions they receive. And the more detailed you can make any automated communication that gets sent out, the better.

If you want to learn more about what automation can do for your business, be sure to take a look at our services page.